Banning email at work: What message is it sending?

Effectiveness of the common communication tool debated.

“Just shoot me an email.”

It’s a phrase frequently used in the workplace, but how effective is the tool for today’s business needs? Chief Executive Thierry Breton of Atos, a French technology firm with 74,000 employees in 42 countries, has his doubts.

Few employees are truly engaged or know the strategy; Great internal communication sets winning companies apart

In a hyper-competitive world and in a weak economy, companies need fully engaged employees who understand and buy into the corporate strategy. So there's a shockingly huge opportunity at most companies in America today...

You Can’t NOT Communicate

As dear readers now, LeaderLab is all about the research and theory behind the practice of leadership. This research comes from a lot of fields, organizational behavior, psychology management science, sociology, etc. One often-overlooked field of study in leadership is that of communication theory. This may well be because those doing the research are poor communicators (if you don’t believe me, please join me at the next academic conference on leadership).

Up your communication impact with David Grossman, The Grossman Group

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. 90% of problems that I see happening in the workplace typically boil down to some kind of communication issue. Close to twenty years ago, I was introduced to the “fact” that when it comes to the impact of a communication message, only 7% of our message is verbal (the words you use). 38% is vocal (your tone of voice) and 55% comes down to your body language. With the abundant use of email to “solve” basic misunderstandings, no wonder so many problems escalate.

You Can’t NOT Communicate

Some time ago, David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, sent me a copy of his book, You Can’t NOT Communicate.

Much of the book focuses on employee communications, offering an excellent collection of tips and approaches to communicating in a way that can help leaders differentiate themselves.

Lessons in leadership communications

You Can't Not Communicate 2 is the latest offering from David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA. Is this insightful book worth taking to the beach this summer?...

Communication Is More Important Than Ever

A 2010 employee survey included disturbing findings, and we doubt they’ve changed much during this year: Just 11% of employees strongly agreed that their managers’ words and actions were consistent, 7% strongly agreed that they trust senior leaders to look out for employees’ best interests, and about 20% disagree that their company’s top leader is honest and ethical. Communications consultant David Grossman cited these results in a new edition of his book You Can’t Not Communicate (Little Brown Dog Publishing, 2011)...

Q&A with David Grossman: How to improve communication

How can business leaders best evaluate their communication efforts and identify areas that require improvement?

Most organizations already have data that leaders can use to understand the current state of communication such as an engagement survey or communication climate survey...

Book Review: You Can't Not Communicate 2

Can’t decide what one business book to take on your summer vacation to accompany your “fun-reading” books? I recommend David Grossman’s, You Can’t Not Communicate 2.”

Book Review: You Can't Not Communicate 2

David Grossman certainly lives up to his trademark title of your ‘Thought Partner’. His new book, "You Can’t Not Communicate 2", further explores how top leaders differentiate themselves from the crowd.

Internal communication consultants forecast for 2011

Communicators across the globe are ringing in the New Year with a plethora of predictions for the industry. So just what can we expect? Read on!

Reach Communications & Leadership Expert David Grossman Via His New App

If you haven't engaged with David Grossman's website, Blog and incredibly useful eBooks, make a point of checking them all out at his website for The Grossman Group. David just launched his new App, called "Ask David." Via the App, David promises to bring his communications industry expert advice and wisdom right to your fingertips.

Lucky charms for enchanting customer experience

Either it’s the holiday season that makes me think of freshly-baked bread and pies or I am just hungry and my brain needs glucose, but my next example also involves a culinary tradition. It comes from The Grossman Group, a consultancy that specializes in strategic leadership, internal communication and delicious Grandma Elsie’s Famous Pumpkin Chiffon pies, which The Grossman Group makes for their in-town clients every Thanksgiving as a sweet way to say “Thank you.” Their out-of-town clients get the ingredients and the recipe in the mail to make their own pies. And all other lovers of pies and communication can get the famous recipe on The Grossman Group website. Now, that’s a treat and treatment that customers can appreciate.

Going back to communication basics

There is no other accomplishment a person can have that will make a career and secure recognition as quickly as the ability to communicate. As such, there is no doubt that you aim to be a better communicator whether you are a government official, a company president, a technical person, a physician, a social worker or a student because you agree that great communication is key to success. Your ability to create ideas and having them fly go hand in hand. As Lee Iacocca said, “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” This principle is excellently discussed in David Grossman’s book You Can’t Not Communicate...

How To Improve Your Internal Communication Skills

Here is this week's book recommendation. It's a quick read, yet power-packed with useful tips for communicating effectively -- tips you can start to use tomorrow. And, the eBook is free!

What to do when you can't NOT Communicate

Communication is a learned skill. We’re all born with the ability but it takes real practice to be good at it. So opined David Grossman, Founder of the Grossman Group, an award-winning Chicago PR firm.

Do I agree? Oh yes.

This Week's Book Recommendation

Here is a book by David Grossman that I learned a lot from and recommend to leaders and managers...

Internal communication gets smart

31 August, 2010 - 17:19 Smartphones. They’re everywhere. This is the age of the mobile worker and the online office. But what can smartphones and mobile communications do for internal comms? Plenty.

In the consulting field, employee communication experts have begun to see the value of providing quick, accessible information that matches the lifestyle of busy communicators on the go.

This past July, David Grossman, President and Founder of The Grossman Group in Chicago, introduced a free app called “Ask David” so he could stay better connected with his clients – many of whom consist of senior leaders working in large organizations.

Communications...pondering why we are so bad at it

I’m a member of the Communication Professionals group on LinkedIn and saw an interesting question posted by David Grossman. David asked: With so much written about communications and its importance, why are we so bad it? I posted some thoughts and liked what I wrote so left it there and am duplicating it here with credit to David for those of you not in the group or on LinkedIn

Author and Communications Expert David Grossman to Speak in Triangle

The North Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA) is teaming up with other local marketing and communications organizations to bring noted author and communications expert David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, to the Triangle. Grossman will share his presentation entitled, “You’re Already Doing It: What to Do When You Can’t NOT Communicate” at the Durham Regional Hospital Auditorium on Aug. 26.

The Chieftains

Chief Marketer recently asked David Grossman and his industry colleagues, “What is your favorite mobile app, for business or personal use, and why?” Find out what they said...

Why Leaders Can’t NOT Communicate – Even as a Mortgage Company CEO

At the July PRSA Houston Workshop, David Grossman, president and founder of The Grossman Group, practically laid it out for me. Speaking on the subject of executive communications, Grossman said many executives have no idea how to communicate, often having been promoted for other reasons. However, while my company’s CEO prefers to handle much of the internal communication himself, he seems to have a natural handle on many of the ideas Grossman shared. That’s not to say his expertise is common knowledge. I know my college courses focused primarily on what we say to the public rather than maintaining corporate morale.

Three Things I Do to Improve My Communication Abilities

In The Public Relations Strategist, I recently read an article called: “Leading in Tough Times” by David Grossman (APR, Fellow of PRSA, and CEO of The Grossman Group). The article had several bits of interesting information, but one point stuck with me. Grossman points out that just because you write or talk doesn’t mean that you are communicating.

“If your audience isn’t understanding you, then it doesn’t matter what you are saying. Communication happens in the mind of the listener,” Grossman writes. In other words, the difference between writing and communication is how well you’ve reached your audience.

IABC 2010: Meet the Anti Social Media Guy

It’s Sunday afternoon in Toronto and the unseasonal rain has given way to bright sunshine. The brightest spot of my day at the IABC’s World Congress so far, however has been meeting a beaming David Grossman of the Grossman Group, friend of Melcrum, leading consultant, and speaker and author and one of America’s foremost authorities on communication inside organizations. Not only is he celebrating the birth of his first child (David – many congrats from everyone at Melcrum) but he’s also here to deliver one of the main presentations at the annual Congress and sign copies of his book, You Can’t Not Communicate, now, according to his website, in its second printing due to popular demand.

Use This eBook To Improve Your Communication

The former director of communications for McDonald's, David Grossman, now a leading consultant, speaker and author has released a free eBook about how to communicate effectively. Titled, The Leader Differential: Five Steps To Thrive (Not Just Survive), it's ideal for any leader or manager who wants to brush up on his/her communication skills.

NGLCC Holds Successful Regional Chamber Leadership Forum

Last week, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC) held a successful Mid-Year Leadership Forum for Regional Chairs of the NGLCC's Council of Chambers and Business Organizations (CCBO).

[...] Rounding out the Mid-Year Forum, the group heard from David Grossman, owner of Chicago-based and NGLCC-Certified The Grossman Group, on leadership styles and communication. Author of the book You Can't NOT Communicate, Grossman posits that leaders, whether they plan to or not, are continually communicating. As a result, leaders must recognize when communication is being damaging or moving the concept forward in a healthy manner.

eBook Offers Communications Tips and Techniques for Leaders

A new eBook about how to communicate effectively is available for free from The Grossman Group, Chicago, IL. It's called, The Leader Differential: Five Steps To Thrive (Not Just Survive), and the author is David Grossman, a leading consultant and speaker who has worked for McDonald's, Microsoft and Cisco Systems.

Employee Communications Agency of the Year: The Grossman Group

“Bookshelf: Spring 2010”

“dg&a”

“IMC Students Publish Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications”

Consultant Says Leaders Should Communicate More With Employees

Coping with tough times means communicating with employees–and too many top executives aren’t doing a good job.

That’s the word from David Grossman, CEO of DG&A, a leadership and communications consulting firm.

“Unfortunately, in general, senior leaders are not communicating as much as they could be or should be,” he stated. “If I look back a little bit, before these crazy economic times, leaders weren’t communicating then either. Studies indicate employees feel they don’t understand where the company is going and what’s happening inside the organization.”

“In uncertain economy, communication is key to keeping employees, clients at ease”

“dg&a to Share Employee Communications Tools via Certification Program”

“Market Focus: Employees serve as good advocates”

“Looking for Ways to Say Thank You Appropriately”

“The Accidental Communicator”

2007 ABR: DG&A

As PRWeek's Small Agency of the Year, DG&A is focusing on moving to what David Grossman, the firm's president, calls "the next level" - a goal that he sums up in terms of getting deeper into the organizations his agency serves, and engendering leadership skills.

"Those [business leaders] on the front lines of communication, that need the most direction, are often being led by those [with] the least ability," he says.

PRWeek Awards: Small PR Agency of the Year

While DG&A entered its sixth year of existence with a number of quantitative goals, those successes hinged much on its qualitative goal: rebranding from David Grossman & Associates.

DG&A explained that the rebranding was symbolic of its transcendence from a boutique agency based on the founder to a growing firm with a cadre of expert communicators.

Boutique PR Agency of the Year 2003

When David Grossman left his job as communications director at the McDonald's corporation, he had three ideals in mind for his new PR firm: “Tackle challenging, strategic business problems; work with smart, talented people; and have a great time doing it.”

The judges could only conclude that he has succeeded in every respect in this, only the agency's second full year of business. In 2002, the firm's revenue was up 130% from 2001, which saw revenue of $558,384. The firm has a 78% retention rate among its 32 clients, ranging from Grossman's former employer McDonald's, to Exelon, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, and Munich Trade Fairs North America.